David Cameron pledges to overhaul benefits system for immigrants.

David Cameron pledges to overhaul benefits system for immigrants


David Cameron has pledged to overhaul the benefits system for immigrants
after disclosing that he believes the current system does not pass the “simple
common sense test”.








Ministers have said they will
not attempt to predict the number of Romanian or Bulgarian migrants that could
be heading to the UK Photo:
ALAMY





By Peter Dominiczak, Political
Correspondent

1:38PM GMT 13 Feb 2013


933 Comments




The Prime Minister said he wants to limit immigrants' access to British
public services to ensure that the UK is “not a soft touch”.


Mr Cameron has said that he wants to reform the system allowing immigrants
access to housing, the health service, the justice system and benefits.



His comments came amid a growing debate about the numbers of new migrants
preparing to come to the UK next year.


Twenty nine million Bulgarians and Romanians will gain the right to live and
work unrestricted in Britain in 2014 under European “freedom of movement” rules.



The Prime Minister chaired a ministerial working group yesterday during which
he questioned members of the Cabinet about ways to withhold some benefits from
immigrants.



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Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Cameron said the Government
will look at “every single one of our systems” to ensure that so-called benefits
tourists are not taking advantage.

“Britain has always been an open and welcoming economy but it isn't right if
our systems are being abused and that is why I chaired yesterday a committee
meeting in Whitehall,” Mr Cameron said. “We are going to look at every single
one of our systems - housing, health and benefits - to make sure we are not a
soft touch for those who want to come here.

“I think it is absolutely vital that we get this right. There are many parts
of our current arrangements which simply don’t pass a simple common sense test
in terms of access to housing, access to the health service, access to justice
and other things which should be the right of all British citizens but they’re
not the right of anyone who just chooses to come here.”

The Home Office has repeatedly refused to put any number on the anticipated
arrivals from Bulgaria and Romania.

Ministers are concerned about releasing the research into the possible number
of arrivals, which they believe will be compared with a prediction that only
13,000 would move to Britain from Poland and other eastern European countries
after 2004.

More than one million eastern Europeans then arrived in one of the biggest
waves of immigration seen in the UK.

A report from MigrationWatch, a think tank, claimed that 50,000 people a year
would arrive until 2019.
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The EU population has free movement through EU Countries and a minimum £ allowance for immigrants.With the state of Britains' ecomomy Cameron aught to limit immigration to those who have jobs to go to. With so many Banks paying huge fines to the U.S. and Britain over the Libor crisis, the British Banks paying compensation for mis-selling of IPP's there is very little left for lending to small Businesses and House buyers . Analysts are saying the EU attempts to stimulate the economy have failed and it will be several years before any improvement.